THIS invention relates to a system and method of monitoring a load on a vehicle and more particularly to such a system and method utilizing an electronic radio frequency (RF) identification system.
It is a well known problem that while goods are being transported from a depot of a factory for example, to a destination station which may be a warehouse of a retailer of the goods, some of the goods may be filched by operators of the transporting truck or workers at the depot or destination. In the case of very valuable goods, for example pharmaceutical products, the transporting vehicle may be hi-jacked and the entire load robbed by the hi-jackers. It is often very difficult, if not impossible, to recover the stolen or robbed goods.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,176 to Randtec Inc there is disclosed an inventory control system for use with a warehouse or the like and utilizing an electronic radio frequency (RF) identification system. The system comprises a reader or interrogator and a plurality of active RF transponders or tags each associated with a respective container or item to be monitored in the warehouse. In use, the reader interrogates the transponder population. The response signals from the transponders are processed by the reader and compared to an inventory stored in a database. If one transponder does not respond during such an interrogation step or cycle, an alarm signal is generated.
Although the system may be suitable for methods of inventory control in stores and warehouses, it is not suitable to solve the severe and still increasing problems of monitoring a load of containers or items in transit, where hi-jacking of transport vehicles is an ever-increasing problem.